Impact of Psychosocial Stress on Time-to-Pregnancy

NICHD正在与牛津大学的Cecilia Pyper博士合作，评估以怀孕时间衡量的社会心理压力对女性生育能力的影响。具体来说，NICHD将在派珀博士目前正在进行的牛津概念研究（OCS）中建立一个压力组件。OCS是一项三组随机临床试验，旨在评估数字生育监测仪的每日反馈是否会提高希望怀孕的女性的受孕率。参加OCS计划的女性在尝试怀孕期间会被跟踪长达6个月。在此期间，女性每月向研究人员发送每日日记信息、情绪调查问卷和生育监测数据。三个月和六个月的累计怀孕率将被比较。

NICHD is collaborating with Dr. Cecilia Pyper, Oxford University, to assess the impact of psychosocial stress on female fecundity as measured by time-to-pregnancy. Specifically, NICHD will build a stress component into Dr. Pypers currently ongoing Oxford Conception Study (OCS). The OCS is a three-arm randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate whether or not daily feedback from a digital fertility monitor increases the conception rate among women desiring pregnancy. Women enrolled in the OCS are followed for up to six months as they try to conceive. During this time, women send daily diary information, a mood questionnaire and data from their fertility monitor to the investigators on a monthly basis. Three-month and six-month cumulative pregnancy rates will be compared for the women in each of the three groups. NICHD has added a component to the Oxford Conception Study (OCS) with the expressed intent of measuring stress and its impact on female fecundity among newly enrolled women in the OCS (approximately 400 women). The NICHDs research objectives are: 1) to evaluate the effect of perceived psychosocial stress on time to pregnancy; 2) to evaluate the effect of physiologic stress on time to pregnancy; 3) to assess whether or not perceived psychosocial stress is associated with physiologic stress; and 4) to assess whether or not underlying anxiety and depression, social support, locus of control, or self-esteem confound or modify the relation between perceived psychosocial stress or physiologic stress and time-to-pregnancy. Saliva samples will be analyzed for two biomarkers of stress, viz., cortisol and alpha amylase. The Cohens Perceived Stress Scale will be used to measure perceived psychosocial stress. Several other psychosocial instruments will be administered at baseline to allow us to assess whether or not they confound or modify the relation between physiologic stress or perceived psychosocial stress and time-to-pregnancy. Data analysis has been completed for salivary biomarkers and TTP, and for psychosocial stress.